Ranma- The Getbackers
by 1chi50
Summary: R1/2-GB fusion. Proofread and updated. Two unlikely characters start up a repossession service. First chapter up, working on chapter 2.
1. Escape from Nerima

{Two unlikely people start up a repossession service in the greater Tokyo area...}  
  
Warning: To get this story started, I had to make one of the major characters out of character. Of course, the two major characters stray FAR from their usual personalities anyway, so maybe it was a bit redundant mentioning that. On with the show!  
  
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Ranma ½  
  
A Fusion Fic with Getbackers.  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I have no claim on the series whatsoever, but if I did, Rumiko-san owes me a lot of money ^__^  
  
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Chap 1- Escape from Nerima!  
  
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"Shampoo!"  
  
The young Chinese Amazon, now a beautiful 17 years old girl, stood meekly before her Great Grandmother. She tried to mask her distress with a stoic face, but her trembling lip, and sad eyes made it a worthless effort. Her great grandmother Cologne stood before her with a spiteful look creasing her aged features. The pointed tip of her gnarled staff was pressed against her granddaughter's throat, and Shampoo tried not to wince.  
  
"You have shamed the Amazon name," Seethed the old woman, "Not only have your actions shamed the Amazon name, but now your chances of claiming Son- in-law as your rightful husband have been dashed like ashes in the wind."  
  
Shampoo cowed under her Grandmother's biting words, and lowered her head. "I sorry great-grandmother. Shampoo made a mistake..."  
  
"A mistake?" Scoffed Cologne "A mistake is repairable. What you have done is far graver."  
  
Her dark eyes narrowed, and she whispered angrily, "Not only that, but you have totally wasted a special herb I had been cultivating for the past fifty years for your own gains. That alone is unforgivable."  
  
"But is powerful love spice!" Interrupted Shampoo.  
  
"IT'S NOT FOR PASSION SPICE!!" Yelled Cologne. "It's uses are far exceed that of a mere 'love spice'." She said, scoffing the word like it was a curse. She watched Shampoo tremble, while she kept her head lowered. Cologne gave her grand-daughter a piteous look, a total turnaround from her earlier blazing anger, "I am sorry to say grand-daughter, but your actions are much to impulsive. It is a shame."  
  
Shampoo gazed questioningly at her grandmother. Inside though, she felt her heart twist and squeeze itself of its own life. Cologne had only used that look a few times before. Those times were when she had to kill her prized horse because it had become feeble, and when she had to exile her own husband because he had broken the laws of the male Amazon code.  
  
She tentatively stretched a hand toward Cologne. "Great grandmother..."  
  
Cologne looked at her with a hard stone look. "Your attitude and impulsiveness are not becoming of a future leader of the tribe," Coldly stated Cologne, "That characteristic of yours will surely hurt rather than help it, much like the exiled leader Mao Shin Rai from one hundred years ago."  
  
Shampoo choked back her tears. To be compared with the dictator of the Amazon's that stained it's history was a great shame in itself. But Cologne didn't stop there, and continued with her poisonous tirade.  
  
"It is because of this, Shampoo, that I must exile you."  
  
Shampoo sadly gazed down at her great grandmother, "You no mean that..."  
  
"Yes I do." Cologne stated morosely.  
  
Tears streaked Shampoo's face, but she tried to hide it by quickly turning around. As Shampoo buried her face in her hands, she felt a wrinkled hand place itself warmly on her shoulder. Shampoo kept her face hidden from view, as she weeped quietly to herself. A brief silence descended upon the two, then Cologne leaned in close, and whispered to her, "Do not worry Shampoo."  
  
Shampoo's tears slowly ebbed away as she listened, "Your exile will only be a temporary thing, until you realize what you have done wrong."  
  
Shampoo turned tearfully toward Cologne, "But Shampoo does understand!"  
  
Cologne sadly shook her head. "No I don't think you do. How long will it be before you fall back into that vicious cycle."  
  
Shampoo stared at Cologne as she lectured her. "One of the virtues of Confucionism is to reflect on your life. Do that Shampoo, and when you attain your enlightenment, then come back to me. Because I will surely miss you if you don't come back."  
  
Shampoo smiled at her grandmother sadly, "You no want me to go?"  
  
Then, Cologne finally gave her a genuine smile, "Who would want their own grand-daughter to leave? But this life here in Nerima is poison for you. Leave, and find your own path in life, and realize the greater things you are capable of."  
  
A beautiful but sad smile crept onto Shampoo's face as she nodded, "Shampoo understands great grandmother."  
  
"Good. Now go now before Mousse comes back, for he will surely chase after you, and I want you to find yourself a new life."  
  
Shampoo chuckled jovially, "Of course Great grandmother."  
  
She made her way toward the staircase, then stopped and turned around, "But can you tell Mousse, that Shampoo will miss him?"  
  
Cologne gave her an incredulous look, "But that will only make him go out to look for you."  
  
"True," giggled Shampoo, "But Shampoo would be lying if she say she wouldn't miss Mousse. Plus, it wouldn't be right if Shampoo didn't say goodbye to him..."  
  
Cologne gave her a wan smile. "It looks like you are already on the path to learning."  
  
Shampoo smiled back at her, then bounded up the stairs.  
  
As soon as Shampoo disappeared, Cologne turned toward the Neko-haten's doorway, and sighed. "This is for the best."  
  
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It was late at night, but that didn't mean Dr. Ono Tofu had to close his office. He kept it open late into the midnight hour daily, mainly because of his location. It was especially important that he kept his clinic open, considering that this was the Nerima ward. So many weird things happened during the night hours. Like, for example, the repeated cases of high voltage shock victims that occasionally came by, or the monster attack victims that he treated this late at night. Sometimes, there were those incidents when these three particular people would come in because of alcohol poisoning. Then there was Ranma's gang of friends.  
  
These instances made his work interesting, and it brought in a good amount of income. Unfortunately, it meant that he couldn't leave his office as regularly as he used to. And that meant he couldn't see Kasumi as much anymore. That left him a little melancholy.  
  
The sound of the door opening pulled his attention away from his musings. Collecting himself, he went out of his office, and moved toward the reception area.  
  
"Good Evening. How may I help...oh my." He paused in midstep, and looked at the other occupant of the room with surprise. There, on the other side of the room, stood Ryoga Hibiki, bruised and battered, with blood running down his face.  
  
"G-Good Evening," Whispered Ryoga in a hoarse voice. As soon as the words left his lips, his body leaned forward as if he was going to topple over. Ono Tofu rushed across the room and caught Ryoga before he hit the floor.  
  
"Ryoga," He queried as he supported the young man in his hold. Ryoga managed a smirk and looked at the doctor. "Heh, thanks. But you don't have to worry, I think I can walk to the examination room."  
  
Tofu gave him a serious look. "You probably can, but I wouldn't advise it."  
  
Ryoga looked back with a level gaze, then nodded slowly, "OK, I understand."  
  
Tofu gave him an approving smile, then led him to the back room.  
  
As they walked toward the examination room, Tofu curious as to Ryoga's present condition, asked in jest, "So, I take it you had an eventful visit to the Tendo's?"  
  
Suddenly, Ryoga seemed as if his body had become a boneless heap, and Tofu had to struggle under the weight to keep him standing. "Ryoga, what's wrong?"  
  
Ryoga answered with a bitter chuckle. When he looked up, Tofu was shocked to see the total emptiness in his eyes. "You don't have any idea." He stated solemnly.  
  
"What happened?" Whatever it was, Tofu knew it was worse than Ranma just smacking him into a wall.  
  
An expression of sad contemplation descended onto Ryoga's features, and the room fell into a heavy silence. Then, in voice laced with a depression deeper than a ravine, Ryoga said, "She knows."  
  
Tofu stared at him, already knowing the brevity of those words. "How did it happen?"  
  
Ryoga took a deep breath, then told the story as if he was looking at it from far away, "It happened sometime in the late afternoon. I had just come from some mountain from somewhere, I don't know where. Unsurprisingly. But anyway, I was training my body to defeat Ranma once more. Maybe it was an exercise in futility...he did beat a god afterall. But I guess that was part of why I wanted to fight him again...or maybe it was because Akari herself told me it would be impossible to beat Ranma, which she said to me after I told her my ountlandish story of my trip to Phoenix Mountain. Whatever it was, I still wanted to beat him."  
  
He paused in his story as Tofu settled him onto one of the examination tables. The doctor nodded at him to continue as he checked his body for any serious injuries. Ryoga took another breath, then continued, "So, a few hours ago, I made my way to the Tendo Dojo. Later I had heard that Shampoo was there earlier, and they got into another 'passion spice' episode. I heard Shampoo can't visit them anymore, heh. Well anyway, I didn't know this at the time. The only thing on my mind was defeating Ranma. So, with my usual borish yell, pun intended, I jumped over the Tendo wall, and yelled 'Today you Die, Ranma Saotome!' as I was wont to do, and unsurprisingly, he was there as if he was waiting for me."  
  
He paused and gave Tofu a somber look, "It wasn't like usual though. I guess he was fed up with all the crap he had to deal with, me included." Ryoga gazed at the ground, and continued his story in a soft tone. "Before I touched the ground, Ranma had swung his leg out, and kicked me in the side of the head. The force dazed me slightly, and I didn't know he had aimed me toward the pool, until I saw the suns rays reflecting off the shimmering water. Akane chose that moment to come out, and then I knew it was too late for me."  
  
The doctor had stopped examining his body a while ago, so Ryoga leaned back on his hands, "I kinda gave up on Akane long before. I still loved her, and wanted her to stay a friend, but now I know such a thing is impossible. She saw my transformation, and she knows. Dammit, she knows!"  
  
Tofu sighed, and pushed up his glasses, "That's terrible Ryoga. But you reap what you sow, as the old proverb goes."  
  
Ryoga laughed a laugh that was partially bitter and partially in amusement. "Yeah! It's true. I always believed everything in my life was due to fate or Ranma. Both my cruses are a product of both, but now I can truly say I brought this down on myself, as the saying goes." He said smirking at the doctor.  
  
Tofu smiled, and pushed up his glasses, "So, what are you going to do? Apologize to Akane?"  
  
Ryoga sighed, and rested on the examination table, "Well first I'm going to rest here and wait until morning. Umm...I hope you won't mind..." He said gaving the doctor a pleading look.  
  
"I was going to advise it anyway," laughed the professor.  
  
Ryoga smiled back. "Thanks. After that, I think I'll be leaving Nerima, and I don't think I will be back for a long time."  
  
Tofu studied the young man before him, "Are you sure about that?" He asked.  
  
Ryoga folded his hands in front of his face, and covered his mouth, "Yeah, I think I am."  
  
Tofu thought back on some of the stories her had heard about the Nerima gang, and remembered Ryoga had a girlfriend...what was her name...ah, "So," Asked Tofu, "I take it you'll be staying with Akari then?"  
  
Ryoga blinked, then chuckled, "I don't think that's possible." Answering Tofu's questioning look, he replied, "She went to NY last month."  
  
"In America? What for?"  
  
"Simply put, she has family there. A few months ago her grandfather passed away, leaving her to fend for herself. I tried to stay with her as much as I could, but because of my damned sense of direction, she was by herself most of the time. Her aunt and uncle heard the news about her grandfather, and offered to let her stay with them. She refused, of course, but she said she would visit just to see how they were doing. She tried to convince me to come with her, but I declined, saying someone had to watch out for those crazy kids Ranma and Akane. So she left, and left the care of her farm to some neighboring pig farmers, because she knew I couldn't be there all the time to take care of them. I sent her letters frequently, but I never got replies, mostly because I can't find my mailbox. I would love to go over to America now and stay with her, but I don't think I want to leave Japan." He paused to give Tofu a surly look, "I guess I'm stuck being the lonely boyfriend who waits for his love to return huh?"  
  
"So what are you going to do, now?"  
  
"Leave Nerima," Ryoga told the doctor in a hard voice, "And find a purpose in my life. Now that I'm leaving Ranma and Akane to their own mercies, I have to find something else for me to do."  
  
Tofu sighed, then stood up, brushing his hands on his coat, "Then that is your decision." He gave Ryoga a warm smile, then added, "Just make sure when you go out into the world, you only make the right decisions."  
  
Ryoga smiled back at the doctor, "Sure."  
  
------  
  
It was five 'o' clock in the morning, much to early for any sane people to be up and about. Even Ranma, who woke up early to train with his father, didn't wake up THIS early. But there were people who were up and about. This wasn't to say that they were less than sane, but some would debate that. Their main reasons for being up this early were surprisingly similar. Maybe it was fate who decided that, because they were about to walk the same path, that these two should run into eachother. If fate did indeed play a part in their meeting, the male half of the pair would give 'fate' a withering glare, while the female part would just look at 'fate' confused.  
  
But such was fate.  
  
Ryoga Hibiki stood on one side of the intersection that lead out of the Nerima ward. On the other side stood Shampoo, who was looking at him curiously.  
  
"Eh? What buta-otoko doing up this early in the morning?"  
  
Ryoga scratched his nose as he met Shampoo's gaze, "Hmph. I could ask you the same thing kaneko."  
  
She shrugged. "Whatever Shampoo does is no concern of pig-boy."  
  
"I have a name you know." He growled dangerously under his breath.  
  
"Shampoo know." She stated arrogantly, "Name is Ryoga Hibiki. But again, this is no concern of Shampoo."  
  
Ryoga smirked, "OK kaneko, I guess I can live with it, kaneko."  
  
"Shampoo is not called kaneko!" Yelled Shampoo.  
  
Ryoga chuckeled darkly. "Oh, but I guess your name is not my concern, eh?" He said mimicking Shampoo.  
  
Shampoo frowned at him, then whipped her head away from the eternal lost boy. Ryoga studied her for a second, then turned toward the road that would send him away from Ranma and all the craziness that followed him. Including this crazy Amazon chick.  
  
"Hey, where Ryoga going?" She asked.  
  
Ryoga ignored her and continued on his trek down the empty sidewalk. Shampoo stared at him, and tapped her chin as if she was considering something. Then she rushed out after him, and ended up walking in step beside him.  
  
"Hey you no answer Shampoo's question."  
  
Ryoga stopped walking, and turned toward her. She was surprised to see that he looked a little more unhappy than usual.  
  
"I...Need to get away from Nerima for a while." He told her morosely.  
  
Shampoo smiled sadly at Ryoga in understanding, "Oh? Shampoo does too, get away from Nerima that is."  
  
A smirk crossed Ryoga's features, "Yeah, I heard about how you got Ranma and Akane caught up in another 'passion spice' incident."  
  
When he turned to look at Shampoo, he dropped his smirk. She was staring at the ground, causing her long hair to cover her face. But he could still see her eyes, and the sadness that emmanated from them.  
  
"Sorry," Said Ryoga apologetically.  
  
Shampoo shook her head furiously, then looked up with a bright smile masking her face, "Is OK. Shampoo understand what she did wrong, so she go out and reflect on it now!"  
  
"Well, it looks like we both have a lot to reflect on."  
  
Shampoo smiled at him sadly, "You went to the Tendo House?"  
  
"Yeah," moaned Ryoga.  
  
"Shampoo sorry then."  
  
"What for?"  
  
Shampoo stared at the road ahead of her as they walked into the neighboring prefecture, "Shampoo knew about Akane knowing your transformation. Most of Nerima knew Akane knows."  
  
"How..."Dazedly asked Ryoga.  
  
"Mercenary girl had transformation on tape. Akane found it. Beat up Ranma to explain it. Got explanation, then went to hunt you for blood."  
  
Ryoga paled, which Shampoo noticed, "No worry. Ranma was able to calm her down, so Shampoo no think she'll be angry with you for long."  
  
Ryoga sighed. Now he knew he couldn't come back. He sadly stared up at the rising sun, "Hmm...It looks nice..."  
  
Shampoo looked to where he was staring and smiled, "Yes. Reminds Shampoo of home, except without all the buildings, of course."  
  
Shampoo took a breath of the fresh morning air, then strided forward, "Let's go."  
  
Ryoga stared at her retreating form, "Eh? Who said I was going with you?"  
  
Shampoo looked back at him coyly, "Travel is a lonely path. Maybe it best we go together, yes?"  
  
Ryoga considered her proposition, tilting his head in contemplation, "Hmmm...Well, it'll be different traveling with someone. But what the heck, do what you want."  
  
Shampoo smiled, then continued her walk toward the rising sun. "So where Ryoga going?" She asked.  
  
"Eh, I think I might stop by Sibuya. They have a train there..." He said walking off toward Shibuya.  
  
"Isn't Shibuya in that direction?"  
  
------[tbc]----  
  
Author's note: I proofread the story and made some changes. If anyone has any suggestions for improvement, I'm all ears.  
  
BTW: Thanks for reading ^_^ 


	2. CaseFile1- Meet the Getbackers

{Two unlikely people start up a repossession service in the greater Tokyo area...}  
  
Warning: To get this story started, I had to make one of the major characters out of character. Of course, the two major characters stray FAR from their usual personalities anyway, so maybe it was a bit redundant mentioning that. On with the show!  
  
BTW: This is a Ranma ½ - Getbackers fusion. Ryoga and Shampoo will not match the original Getbackers personalities, and they may now be a far cry from their original personalities, nor will Mito Ban and Ginji play a major role. That's not to say they can't make a cameo however, hehe.  
  
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Ranma ½  
  
A fusion fic with Getbackers.  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I have no claim on the series whatsoever, but if I did, Rumiko-san owes me a lot of money ^__^  
  
BTW: I have yet to pre-read this chapter, so if any of the story flow is out of place, or if it gets a little repetitive, I apologize.  
  
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Chap 2  
  
Case File 01: Meet the Getbackers!  
  
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[ 1 year later...]  
  
Ranma Saotome, expert martial artist and erstwhile ladies man, exited the grounds of his college. He had only been in college for a month, but he was already decided on the issue. He would not be coming back next semester. Before he exited the gates, he turned toward the rather unimpressive structure of Pacific University, a fifth rate college in the greater Tokyo area. As he stood there, two guys dressed in baggy skater jeans, and wool caps, sauntered next to him.  
  
"Hey Saotome! What the hell is up, yeah?" Said the one with piercings decorating his lips, nose, ears and eyebrows.  
  
The other one, with long blond hair and a brownish goatee grinned at him with blackened rotting teeth.  
  
Ranma glanced at them and stuffed his hands into his cargo pants, "Yo, Jonouchi, Tegawara, what's up?"  
  
Jonouchi, the one with the metal pin face art, giggled like he was a Hyena, "Ehehehe. Not much, not much. Just me and this punk ass bitch here are going to McDonalds to grab some shit to eat, then we be going to my place. What about you Horse man?"  
  
Ranma shrugged, "Eh, I think I might just go home and chill. Maybe hit the books."  
  
"You're in Education, right?" Asked Tegawara.  
  
Ranma tilted his head away to protect him from the stench, and replied, "Yeah. Heh, what the hell was a thinking. Me, Ranma Saotome, become a teacher?"  
  
The three shared a good laugh, then Jonouchi tilted his head to the side and grinned lecherously, "I don't think you'll be going home to just chill man. But I do know you'll be opening more than just books."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Jonouchi giggled slyly, "Hehe, hot Waseda chick at 12'o clock man." [Waseda. A high profile college, much like Ivy League schools here in America.]  
  
Ranma turned around to meet the gaze of a beautiful woman with shoulder length hair, who was dressed in a nice blouse and pants combo. She smiled at him coyly, and he grinned back, "Yo Akane."  
  
Akane Tendo brushed back her hair from her shoulder, and made her way toward Ranma. "Hey, you." She cooed sexily. Ranma opened his arms, and she fell into his warm embrace. Jonouchi cheered them with a wolf whistle.  
  
"Whoohoo!" He whooped.  
  
Ranma gave him a disapproving look, "Hey."  
  
Jonouchi grinned back and raised his hands, "Yeah yeah man. We be going now, yeah?" That said Jo and Te left the two alone. Akane leaned her head on Ranma's chest and sighed, "You're friends are crazy, you know that Ranma."  
  
Ranma grinned, "Yeah. But their good guys though."  
  
"Hmm...Yeah, you can never tell can you." She dryly added, causing Ranma to laugh slightly.  
  
Akane raised her face to look up at him, "So, what do we do now?"  
  
"Gee, I dunno. How about you decide."  
  
Akane gave him a saucy grin. "Hmm. What can we do?"  
  
Ranma tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her dangerously close to him. "Hmm...I might have some ideas." He growled. He lowered his face slowly toward Akane's while she raised herself up toward him.  
  
Before their lips even touched, they were interrupted by a scream off to their left.  
  
"What was that?" Asked an alarmed Akane. Unfortunately, she turned her head at just the same moment Ranma's tongue had snaked out to play.  
  
He spit out the mouthful of hair, then looked to what idiocy had interrupted his 'fun time'. Ranma narrowed his eyes as he watched two men in black suits try to drag away a small child from a woman about their own age.  
  
"My baby, let go of my baby!" Screamed the woman.  
  
"Ranma?" inquired Akane.  
  
"That is Shiho Yamato," Said Ranma, "That kid there is hers, she had him when she was fourteen. They also say she has connections to the Yakuza. I didn't believe it at first...but now..."  
  
The men in black managed to tear away the young child from its mother.  
  
"Mommy!" Screamed the kid.  
  
"Hehe." Chuckled one of the men in the black suits. "This kid will make a good bargaining chip."  
  
"Not if I have something to say about it!!" Yelled a voice from above.  
  
Both men looked up to see a figure with a long pigtail descend upon them. The man holding the kid ran away, but the other one wasn't as fortunate. A strong right punch buried his face into the ground before Ranma even landed. Once his toes touched concrete, he propelled himself toward the other figure. "Wait right there!" He yelled.  
  
"Hey, help me!" yelled the remaining gangster.  
  
Another figure emerged from a black car parked not too far away, and aimed an AK-47 right at Ranma. Before Ranma even noticed the gun, the man had fired.  
  
Akane screamed over the roar of bullets, and ran over to Ranma, who was curled into a ball. His blood stained the concrete as he lay on his side.  
  
"Ranma!" Cried Akane, "Ranma!"  
  
As she knelt over her injured boyfriend, the black Mercedes drove away.  
  
-------------  
  
A black Mercedes with smoked windows drove by. Ryoga watched it with much interest, and enjoyed how the sun just gleamed off its shiny black exterior.  
  
He whistled in awe, "Damn, that was a nice car!"  
  
Donning a worn black suit with a wrinkled purple dress shirt underneath was Ryoga Hibiki, eighteen year old resident of an abandoned parking lot near the Shinjuku district. Well, he actually didn't officially live in the parking lot. He lived in a minivan that was parked in the lot. It was a nice white Nissan Quest, but the layer of dirt that covered it hid its true beauty. On the side of the van, on the sliding door, was large yellow decal that read 'GetBackers', and right under it was another smaller one that read 'repossession services. 100% guaranteed'. Wisely, it omitted any mention of a money back guarantee.  
  
He squatted in front of a rather sizeable hotplate, which was plugged into the car. He poked it with a chopstick and rested his face in his hands, "Where the heck is she, I'm hungry." He sighed.  
  
"I'm back!" Exclaimed a voice with an exotic lilt.  
  
Ryoga looked up with a smile on his face, then blanched at what he saw. There stood Shampoo, in a tight form fitting maroon red shirt, and knee length black skirt. This was normal for her. The clothing she wore along with the way she now wore her long purple hair without the dumplings, was all part of her new look. What shocked him though were the three bags she held in her arms. If those were grocery bags, which one was, he wouldn't have minded so much. But the two other bags had Macy's and H&M etched onto the sides.  
  
"Shampoo!" He yelled, feeling his blood pressure go through the roof. "Wha...Wha...Gaaah!" He stuttered waving his hands at the bags as if they were diseased.  
  
Shampoo frowned at him, "What are you getting all prissy about?"  
  
She set the bags down near the hotplate, as Ryoga got behind her and made choking motions with his hands. She set the grocery bag away from the hotplate, then reached into the Macy's bag.  
  
"Here." She said, pulling out a white short sleeved silk shirt, and a pair of sunglasses with dark red lenses.  
  
Ryoga glared at her back, "How much did this cost?" He growled menacingly.  
  
"Eight dollars." She said glancing back at him, "There was a couple who was out on the street today, selling their junk. They offered those items for twelve dollars total, but I talked them down to eight."  
  
Ryoga carefully took them. He rubbed the shirt in between his fingers, then held up the glasses to the sunlight. "Hmm very nice."  
  
He donned the red sunglasses, and stuffed one of his hands into his pocket, "So?"  
  
Shampoo rubbed her chin as she looked him up and down from her seat on the ground. Then she nodded in approval and gave him a thumbs up, "Hey, if I am Quentin Tarantino, I'd hire you immediately."  
  
Ryoga chuckled, "Heh, hell yeah." He glanced at Shampoo, "Oh by the way, It's better to say, 'if I were Quentin' not 'if I am Quentin'. I don't think you can count yourself as a male American director."  
  
Shampoo scoffed, "Yeah whatever, shienshei." She said slurring the 's's.  
  
"Right." That said, Ryoga made his way toward the van. "By the way, tell me when dinner's ready OK?" He yelled as he retreated back toward the van with his newly proffered items.  
  
"OK!" Replied Shampoo. As soon as Ryoga had disappeared into the van, she reached into the H&M bag and snuggled her new wool sweater. "I didn't say I bought everything from those two guys, heheh."  
  
"Did you say something, Shan?" Yelled Ryoga.  
  
"Nothing!" She yelled back, "Shampoo was just about to start cooking, that's all!"  
  
She put her new sweater back into the bag, then began to pull items from the grocery bag. As she turned on the heating pan, she giggled to herself.  
  
--------  
  
Ryoga glanced outside the van at Shampoo. It wasn't like he hadn't seen Shampoo's brand new wool sweater. It was just that he would choose to ignore it for now. If they were terribly low on money, THEN he would yell at her. Otherwise, there wouldn't really be any point to it. Especially considering how Shampoo did everything on a whim. He could complain about it, but she would do it again anyway.  
  
"Hey Shan! What are you cooking?!" He yelled out the window. He had taken to calling her Shan, the first part of her full name, Shan Pu. It was a lot less silly then calling her Shampoo.  
  
"Pork Chops!" She yelled back.  
  
Ryoga's body froze, partially because he was adverse to pork, but mostly because... "How in the hell did you buy pork??? We don't have the money for pork!!"  
  
"I was kidding!" She yelled back, "I'm cooking bell peppers and beef!!"  
  
"We don't have the money for beef!!" He hollered, almost suffering a heart attack.  
  
"Yes we did!" She screamed back at him, her voice sounding a bit hoarse.  
  
Ryoga paused in his tirade. Then he yelled, "You mean we had money after paying off those property damage invoices?!"  
  
Total silence answered him back. A sense of dread chilled his spine, and he yelled again, "You DID pay of the damage bills right?!"  
  
"Of course!" She screeched.  
  
Ryoga simmered in the car, sinking into his seat. He didn't believe her, of course. But Shampoo was prone to do things on a whim, so he couldn't complain too much.  
  
"Anyway!" She yelled back, "I feel like eating beef today! Aiyah!"  
  
He didn't know what the 'Aiyah was for. But, again, he wouldn't complain.  
  
A beep from the car's cellphone distracted him from the events going on outside. He heard Shampoo yell something in Chinese. He didn't know much Chinese, but from the stuff he picked up from Shampoo, he knew she was cursing like a drunken sailor. He ignored her un-pleasantries, and picked up the phone.  
  
"You have ten new messages." The phone told him a soothing voice. "One unheard message. Press one to hear new unheard messages."  
  
Ryoga followed the phone's instructions, and listened attentively. A small grin grew on his face as he listened.  
  
-------  
  
Chopsticks furiously tossed the sliced peppers with an expert grace. Kaga of Iron Chef might've called the cooking technique beautiful, if it weren't for the fact that some of the slices were a dark black.  
  
"Ah, I thought blackening some of the pieces a little might make it better, but it's just getting worse..." Muttered Shampoo under her breath.  
  
"Hey Shan." Said Ryoga from behind her.  
  
"Kyaa!" She squealed, dropping her chopsticks on the cracked asphalt. She turned to glare at him furiously. "Don't scare me like that dammit!"  
  
She blinked when he saw an overconfident grin plastered on his face. That meant only one thing...  
  
"Hey, why are you smiling? Are you planning something perverted?" She said teasing him.  
  
Ryoga's smile dropped, and his face turned slightly red. And, if one looked carefully enough, they would see a drop of blood hanging from the tip of his nose.  
  
"D-Don't joke like that!" He stuttered. Putting on a serious face, he handed her a piece of paper.  
  
"Here."  
  
Shampoo took the proffered piece of paper, and read through it. The following was written on it:  
  
1 KIDANAPPING CASE  
  
1.1 Lost Cat  
  
Offering 2,000,000 yen  
  
See Daisuke Shinohara  
  
(###)# # #-# # # #  
  
Shampoo whistled, impressed. "Damn, that's a lot for a cat!"  
  
"I know." Said Ryoga. "It seems a little suspicious to me. Normally, most people would only ask for about maybe 200,000." He gave Shampoo a cocky smirk, "He's adding in a quite the little incentive in there."  
  
"Maybe this cat is well bred?" Shampoo said slyly.  
  
"Or maybe it's just criminal." Countered Ryoga, "Anyway, I want to check this out before we get anything done."  
  
"This guy does know we are only a 'repossession service' right? As in lost ITEMS." Queried Shampoo coyly.  
  
Ryoga smirked at her, "Well, people can interpret 'repossession' in many ways. Let's see if this is within our bounds."  
  
"Yeah!" Exclaimed Shampoo.  
  
"I see dinner is ready."  
  
Shampoo froze. "Ah, yeah...dinner's ready."  
  
Picking up the bowl and chopsticks he had prepared earlier, he scooped in some food. In his hungered stupor he almost missed a particular fact, until he picked up one of the pieces with his chopstick. He stared at the blackened piece. "It's a burnt pepper." He stated dully.  
  
"Well, Yeah." Shampoo chuckled nervously.  
  
Ryoga rifled through his bowl, finding multiple pieces of burnt pepper inside. He checked the grill, and saw more burnt peppers. "That's a lot of burnt peppers." He drolly noted.  
  
He looked to Shampoo for an explanation, who just grinned at him. "Yep, lot's of burnt peppers."  
  
"Where's the beef?"  
  
"What beef?"  
  
Ryoga crawled over to her and stared her in the eye, "I thought you were cooking bell peppers and beef!"  
  
"Bell peppers and beef... its such a matter of perspective..."  
  
"No it's not!" Yelled Ryoga.  
  
"OK OK!" Soothed Shampoo, "A dog came by and took away our beef ok?"  
  
Ryoga glowered, "OK. Must've been a big dog then..."  
  
"Actually it was a tiny thing." Said Shampoo, holding out her hands a foot apart.  
  
"Must've been an incredibly strong poodle." Growled Ryoga.  
  
"Oh yeah! Massively! Couldn't even lay a hand on it because it kept throwing me all over the place!" Exclaimed Shampoo.  
  
"So, why don't you cook the rest of the beef you spent our Damage Invoice money on."  
  
"Oh I didn't buy anymore beef than that...." She stated obliviously.  
  
"Nice sweater though..." Said Ryoga.  
  
"Yeah, got it on sale!" She said reaching for the H&M bag.  
  
Then she paused as she caught onto Ryoga's trap.  
  
"Hmm...I think me and my sweater should take a walk." She said inching away on her knees.  
  
"S-H-A-M-P-O-O!!!" He snarled ferally.  
  
"Ahahaha. I think I hear great grandmother calling me! Excuse me." She said bolting out of the parking lot.  
  
"You haven't seen Cologne in a year!! Get back here dammit!" Screamed Ryoga.  
  
------------  
  
Daisuke Shinohara sat at his large wooden desk, with his hands folded in front of him. The room itself was mostly dark. A few rays entered though the closed venetian blinds, but there was very little to illuminate the room. The brightest source of light was the computer, which sat on his desk. Daisuke stared back at the hard visage of an aged man with blond, almost white, hair.  
  
"So does this please you Mister Howard?" He asked the face on screen.  
  
"BWAHAHAHA!!" Guffawed Geese Howard, "Yes, I like this idea! I can honestly say that sounds better than pushing that punk kid Terry Bogard off my building so he can see how I feel everytime he visits!"  
  
"Really?" Asked Daisuke feigning interest. He didn't know nor cared who Terry Bogard was, but Geese seemed to have this odd complex about him.  
  
Geese paused, then tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Actually, no. Nothing would give me more pleasure then tossing that punk of my building! HAHAHA!!"  
  
Daisuke smiled back, "Well yes. Anyway, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Howard."  
  
"Indeed." Chuckled Geese as he signed off.  
  
Daisuke leaned back in his chair, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Dealing with evil overlords was quite taxing on the soul, thought Daisuke to himself.  
  
A figure emerged from the shadows and stood there silently behind Daisuke.  
  
"What do you want, ninja?" He asked.  
  
The ninja kept silent for a minute longer, then asked in a gravely voice, "I take it your meeting with Geese Howard went well?"  
  
Daisuke chuckled darkly, "It went as well as my meetings with M.Bison, Kazuya Mishima, DOAtech, and the Metal Gear group."  
  
"Heh."  
  
Daisuke turned toward the figure cloaked in shadows, "So, how goes the search for my...cat?"  
  
"We are meeting with the investigators today." Replied the ninja, "I distributed the information to the groups with the highest success rates." He paused, then told Daisuke, "You will be meeting with the GetBackers in a few minutes."  
  
Daisuke gave him an inquiring glance, "The GetBackers?"  
  
"They are a repossession service with a 100 percent guarantee."  
  
"Whoah Woah!!" Exclaimed Daisuke, "You hired a 'repossession service'?? As in those guys who go into peoples houses and take furniture from those who can't pay off their debts??"  
  
The ninja regarded him with a knowing smile, "I had heard that this particular group offers a more....ranged...service than just mere repossession, for the right price."  
  
"Oh?" Asked an intrigued Daisuke, "So where did you here about these people?"  
  
A brief silence descended upon the two, then the Ninja replied, "I saw their ad in the newspaper."  
  
Daisuke stared back at him dully, then growled, "Oh that's just wonderful."  
  
The ninja shrugged indifferently, "It may not sound impressive, but they are worth every penny, as I've heard. You will be meeting them in about thirty minutes."  
  
That said the ninja disappeared back into the shadows. Daisuke thoughtfully tapped his chin as he considered meeting this 'GetBackers' group. Finally he sighed, and got up from his seat, "Eh, couldn't hurt much." He muttered under his breath.  
  
-------------  
  
The Yawarenken Zaibatsu building was an incredibly tall building. It was a pillar of brilliant concrete stacked up to make a beautiful glittering gray- white tower.  
  
"Daaaaaaamn." Ryoga exclaimed as he stood before said building.  
  
Shampoo stood next to him with her hands folded behind her back. She also sported a brand new bandage on top of her head. "That is a big building. This guy owns all of this?"  
  
"No, He owns maybe only about three of four floors in the building." Said Ryoga as he put on his newly acquired shades over his eyes.  
  
Shampoo raised her eyebrows in surprise, "That's still a lot!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Anou excuse me..."  
  
"I would love to own an office in this building," Shampoo said in a dreamy voice as she folded her hands in front of her, "Maybe the penthouse or something."  
  
"Che, Yeah and watch us get kicked out because we have no more money." Said Ryoga sarcastically.  
  
"Excuse me..."  
  
Shampoo turned to him angrily, "Hey, what's this obsession with money that's been riding up you're ass?? You were never like this before!"  
  
"Excuse me..."  
  
"Jeez I dunno." Growled Ryoga, "Maybe its because that since I turned eighteen, my parents have been sending me less and less money. I think they're expecting me to be able to stand on my own two feet now." He gave Shampoo a stern look, "And since a certain someone keeps spending what little money I have left on useless things like a freakin Hollywood wardrobe. I have a right to get protective about MY money."  
  
"Ah...."  
  
Ryoga looked at Shampoo through narrowed eyes, "You know, I could say you've changed a lot too. Ever since coming back from Hong Kong, you've become really materialistic. I think that Lei-Fang girl was a bad influence on you."  
  
Shampoo growled at him, "And whose fault was it that I ended up in Hong Kong?" She arrogantly turned her face away and looked at Ryoga through slitted eyes, "Anyway, at least I didn't hang out in bars all day in Canada with some dirty American and Dublin bitches!"  
  
"Hey!" Shouted Ryoga.  
  
"Anooooooou..."  
  
Ryoga and Shampoo turned their attention away from eachother, and directed all their collective anger on the interloper. "WHAT?????" They shouted in unison.  
  
A look of utter surprise crossed the stranger's face. Then he fainted dead away.  
  
Shampoo looked down at him. "Ah...I think we just killed a cop."  
  
Ryoga nervously chuckled, "Ah...No, no I don't think we did..." Ryoga took a closer look at the security guard that had fainted at their feet. "Hmm...he looks kinda familiar..."  
  
------------------------  
  
"Hey how do we wake him up?"  
  
"I know an ancient Amazon, technique that will wake him right up! Works perfectly on men!"  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
"Yeap. Here I'll show you, just move him like this...OK."  
  
"Ah...Er...Shampoo...Isn't that a little...I dunno, perverted?"  
  
"Hmph. It's only perverted if it's done in a perverted way."  
  
"In what way is that NOT perverted?"  
  
Hikaru Gosunkugi moaned as he was brought back from his happy dreamworld. This was a world he traveled too in his mind when life became too stressful. People had frequently mistaken his trip into happy land as him falling into a coma, but fortunately he didn't go to happy land as frequently as usual, meaning he fortunately didn't wake up in a hospital room as frequently anymore. But what caused him to go to happy world?  
  
"Hmmm...There's not much down here..."  
  
"I thought you were supposed to be reviving him???"  
  
Those voices...Ah yes those two. Ryoga and Shampoo. The two had disappeared from the Nerima scene about a year ago. Many had thought the two had left to elope, which caused Mousse to go out on his 'Ryoga Hunt'. He surprised himself, that after all he had been through, he would still faint after being yelled at by those two particular people. He guessed that martial artist had that type of effect on people. Just a few days ago, he had run into Kuno, and had took a one way trip to happy land when the widely grinning samurai greeted him with an accidentally thrown really sharp katana. As he came fully into consciousness, he felt an odd movement right between his legs, in the space between his ass and his balls.  
  
"Now then," Lilted an exotic female voice, "It's right here."  
  
Gosunkugi squeaked as he felt someone push him under there. A silly grin plastered his face, because his body suddenly felt warm and tingly all over. Ryoga had noticed the noise and saw the grin on Hikaru's face.  
  
"Er...Shan, I don't think..." Began Ryoga with his warning, but it was interrupted by Shampoo as she exclaimed, "Now, we pinch it hard like THIS and TWIST!"  
  
Gosunkugi's eyes widened and he screamed in pain, "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"  
  
Shampoo smiled, and pointed to the jumping Gosunkugi, "See it works."  
  
Ryoga hid his face in his hands. "Yeah, wonderful." Adjusting his red glasses he looked at the poor victim of Amazon home remedies. "Hey, Gosunkugi you OK?"  
  
Gosunkugi ran up to Shampoo and stared her straight in the eye, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU CRAZY AMAZON BITCH!!!!"  
  
Shampoo stared right back at him. Then she raised a finger and waggled it, as she lectured, "A man who has his hand down his pants should not call an Amazon woman crazy." She then narrowed her eyes dangerously, "If you do, you risk death."  
  
Gosunkugi stared at her in confusion and fear, as he massaged the sensitive spot, "..Huh???"  
  
A friendly pat on his shoulder turned his attentions away from Shampoo, and he looked to see Ryoga giving him a sympathetic look, "I feel your pain man."  
  
Gosunkugi stared at Ryoga. "You mean she pinches your balls often?" This surprised Gosunkugi. Last time he had heard, Ryoga was dating a girl named Akari, and Shampoo had Mousse, although she wouldn't admit it herself.  
  
In response, Ryoga blushed furiously, and Shampoo gave him a catty smile.  
  
"W-What?" Stuttered Ryoga.  
  
Shampoo giggled sensually, then ran a slender finger along her lips, "Oh yeah, and I don't just use my fingers either." She sultry added.  
  
Ryoga turned to glare at her furiously, "Shampoo!!!"  
  
Shampoo waved her hands to ward off any anger Ryoga directed at her, "Yeah yeah, I know. I'm just kidding."  
  
Ryoga gave her a final withering look, then turned back toward Gosunkugi, "Hey man, we're sorry about earlier. Shampoo will apologize for her actions too." He said turning back to stare meaningfully at her. She responded by waving a hand, while saying 'yeah yeah'.  
  
He turned his attentions back to Hikaru, then bowed deeply, "Anyway, sorry."  
  
He turned to leave, but felt Gosunkugi grab his suit in a surprisingly strong grip. He turned his head back to look at him, "Something wrong Gos?"  
  
"Ryoga-san, Shampoo-san. If you wouldn't mind sitting with me a few minutes, could you listen to my story?" Pleaded Gosunkugi.  
  
Ryoga turned back to Shampoo, then asked, "So how much time do we have?"  
  
Shampoo looked at her watch, then replied, "We have thirty minutes, just because we left early to compensate for anytime we might've lost with your sense of direction."  
  
He snorted at her, "OK then, we have a lot of time."  
  
"Hey how about we talk it out in that cafe over there?" Shampoo said pointing to a building across the street.  
  
Ryoga shrugged, "Eh why not. C'mon Gosunkugi."  
  
That said the three made their way over to the indicated cafe.  
  
------------  
  
Ryoga's hands shook as he held his coffee. The brown liquid almost spilled out of the cup as it clattered on the saucer. In front of him was an open menu, which was the cause of his distress.  
  
"Expensive..." He said in a shaky voice.  
  
Shampoo whistled, impressed with the prices, "Twenty five for a pasta dish? Thirty for the Salmon? Damn that really is expensive..."  
  
Shampoo put the menu down, then grabbed her glass and tapped it with a spoon, "Hellooooo waiter! I'd like to order!"  
  
Ryoga grabbed her arms and pulled it down. "What do you mean you're going to order?"  
  
"I'm going to order," Said Shampoo in a tone that offered no room for argument, "See, I'm going to have myself the surf and turf."  
  
Ryoga scanned his menu for the surf and turf, then almost choked when he saw the price, "It costs fifty bucks."  
  
Shampoo smiled at him brightly, "Right!"  
  
Ryoga turned his head slowly, and looked at her with a mask of death, "You...You're not buying that." He snarled.  
  
Shampoo looked at him innocently, "Oh yes I am."  
  
"Oh no you're not!" Yelled Ryoga standing from his seat.  
  
"Uh guys..." Meekly said Gosunkugi, "Uhm, are you going to listen to my story?"  
  
Ryoga took a deep breath, counted backwards to ten, then settled back into his seat, "Yeah, I'm listening."  
  
Gosunkugi looked at his two audience members, then began in a low voice, "Well, this kinda has to do with my girlfriend."  
  
Shampoo blinked in surprise, "You have a girlfriend??" She exclaimed.  
  
Ryoga elbowed her in the side, "Shampoo!" He whispered harshly.  
  
Gosunkugi laughed, "No No, it's OK Ryoga-san. I can't say I'm surprised at her reaction. Afterall, I'm Hikaru Gosunkugi."  
  
Ryoga sighed and lowered his head. He reached into his suit's inner pocket and pulled out a pack of Parliament's. Tapping the box on the table, he popped one of the cigs out. Using his lips, he pulled the cig out and let it hang loosely.  
  
"You smoke?" Asked a surprised Gosunkugi.  
  
Shampoo clucked her tongue at him, "Hey, we've changed a lot since leaving Nerima." She turned to Ryoga and indicated the box, "Hey gimme one too."  
  
Ryoga looked at her from the corner of his eye, "You don't have any?"  
  
"Nope!" Exclaimed Shampoo.  
  
Finally letting a little of his soft side show, Ryoga offered the box to his partner. She tapped the box with her finger and popped out another cigarette.  
  
"Wow, who would've thought you two would become smokers." Hikaru said awed by what he was seeing. Of course he couldn't say he was surprised, since last he heard, Ranma had also taken up smoking as a hobby.  
  
Shampoo pulled a cig from the box, then slipped it in between her lips. She then pinched her middle finger and thumb over the cigarette tip, and snapped. Surprisingly, the cigarette lit up, and she took a long drag.  
  
"Hey light me up." Said Ryoga.  
  
Shampoo complied, and snapped her fingers in front of Ryoga's cig, igniting it too.  
  
Gosunkugi whistled. "Wow, is that an ancient Amazon trick for lighting fires?"  
  
Shampoo looked at him lazily. "Yeah, something like that." She said, leaving her meaning ambiguous.  
  
Ryoga took a drag of his smoke, then moved it to the ashtray to tap of the ashes. He rested his elbows on the table, and considered Gosunkugi. "You know," He said, "I'm surprised a guy as weak as you can land a girlfriend." Gosunkugi smiled nervously, but Ryoga caught something else on his face that he couldn't define.  
  
"Well, yeah." Gosunkugi said in his usual weak stutter, "But hey, some guys get lucky, right?" He said smiling at them.  
  
"Right." Ryoga said seeming to agree with him, "So, what was this about your girlfriend?"  
  
"Well, today she ran into some rather unfortunate circumstance." Said Gosunkugi solemnly, "Today her son was kidnapped."  
  
"That's terrible!" Exclaimed Shampoo as she tapped off her excess ashes.  
  
"Yeah, it happened yesterday afternoon. Her name is Shiho Yamato. She was just leaving her classes at Pacific College, when suddenly these two men in black suits suddenly came from nowhere and took him away!"  
  
"Hmm..."Groused Ryoga, "Seems serious."  
  
"It is!" Cried Gosunkugi, "They even shot Ranma!"  
  
Shampoo suddenly went into a coughing fit, and Ryoga cigarette fell from his lips. He tried to catch it, but ended up burning his hand, "Ouch!" He yelled shaking his hand in pain.  
  
Shampoo smacked her chest a few times, then asked, "They shot Ranma?"  
  
Gosunkugi nodded vehemently, "Yeah, with an AK-47."  
  
Ryoga wiped some black flakes off his hand, then placed the cigarette back in his mouth, "With an AK-47 you say? Damn, that's some heavy artillery."  
  
Shampoo nodded, "Yeah, small time gangs around here don't normally pack Semi-auto rifles with them, even in their car trunks."  
  
Ryoga leaned back in his chair and took a long drag, "She's right. The only ones I've seen with Semi-autos are the really big groups, or those with Taiwanese connections."  
  
"I didn't say these were small times guys," Said Gosunkugi seriously, "Actually, you were standing right in front of their main headquarters not two minutes ago."  
  
Ryoga and Shampoo looked out toward the Yawarenken Building. "You don't say." Said Ryoga.  
  
Gosunkugi leaned over the table and gave them serious looks. "I'm not kidding. These guys are cold bastards. I have no idea why they took Shiho's kid, but these guys are cold heartless bastards! Especially their leader Daisuke Shinohara."  
  
Ryoga tilted his head down to stare at the floor momentarily. Then he began to chuckle darkly.  
  
"Er, Ryoga?" Tentatively asked Gosunkugi.  
  
Ryoga raised his eyes to look at him with hard eyes, "Thanks for the story man. But tell us why you really called us out here."  
  
Gosunkugi looked at him in surprise. "Ryoga?"  
  
"Yeah. Thanks for giving us the news. It's always nice to get the front page stories before they appear in tomorrow's paper." Drolled Shampoo as she leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed. She then leaned forward, showing off her rather sizeable assets, "I especially appreciated the news on Ranma. Thank you very much."  
  
Gosunkugi slid his chair back slightly, "Ah...hai..." He stuttered nervously as his eyes traveled down those forbidden grooves.  
  
He pulled his eyes away, and ended up staring at his own reflection in Ryoga's red shades. "So..." Said Ryoga, "How about throwing us a bone?"  
  
Gosunkugi looked back and forth between the two, then sighed, "OK. I'll be honest. I want you guys to help me get back Shiho's kid."  
  
Shampoo and Ryoga stared at Gosunkugi. Then they turned to look at eachother. Finally, Ryoga leaned back in his chair and laughed. Gosunkugi stared desperately between the two, "Huh?"  
  
"Gosunkugi...No wait Hikaru, can I call you Hikaru?" Said Ryoga, not caring whether he was allowed to or not, "Listen. Me and Shampoo here. We run a business OK?"  
  
Beside him Shampoo nodded. Gosunkugi stared at the two, wondering if there was a new strain of virus that made people act like Nabiki. While he wondered this, Ryoga continued, "Now then. As a business we need some sort of compensation for services rendered OK?"  
  
Gosunkugi interrupted him, "Huh wait. What type of business are you talking about?"  
  
Ryoga looked at Shampoo, who reached into her shirt and pulled out a business card. It was a fairly plain looked business card, with the word 'GetBackers' written across the top in big bold letters. Under it was smaller print that read, 'repossession service. 100% guaranteed'. Then a phone number (###)# # #-# # # #.  
  
Gosunkugi looked at the two, then quietly asked, "So...you break into people's homes and take their furniture if they can't pay off their debts?"  
  
Shampoo grinned sinisterly, "Well technically yes. But for a little extra service charge, we can do a lot more for you." She said rubbing her fingers together.  
  
Gosunkugi sighed in defeat, "OK how much?"  
  
Ryoga tapped his chin thoughtfully, then muttered, "Hmm, well Daisuke Shinohara is paying us 2,000,000 for retrieving a lost cat."  
  
Gosunkugi twitched slightly. To the untrained eye it was unnoticeable, but Shampoo and Ryoga noted it immediately.  
  
"Ah...2,000,000." Whispered Gosunkugi.  
  
Shampoo feigned disinterest, "Yeah, he said he'd pay an extra 20,000 if we caught the person who had stolen his cat in the next 24 hours."  
  
"Ah...Well, good luck to you then." Chuckled Gosunkugi.  
  
Ryoga smirked at him devilishly. "We haven't really decided if we were going to take the job yet though. I mean a better job could pop out of nowhere unexpectedly." At this he gave Gosunkugi a hard stare.  
  
Gosunkugi grinned weakly, then swallowed, "Ah...OK. Give me a sec then..."  
  
He stood up from his seat, then paused. "Ah you wouldn't mind if I made a call now, would you?"  
  
Shampoo shrugged indifferently, "Not a problem. Go right ahead."  
  
Gosunkugi disappeared to the back of the cafe, while Ryoga and Shampoo watched him. They stayed silent as he pulled out a cell phone and dialed a phone number. As he waited for an answer, he glanced back to see Ryoga and Shampoo still staring at him. He gulped nervously, then sighed in relief when the other line picked up. They watched as he seemed to be furiously discussing something with someone. After a few minutes, Gosunkugi began bobbing his head like a chicken looking for feed. Finally, he stuffed the phone back in his pocket, and made his way back to the GetBackers.  
  
Gosunkugi folded his hands in front of him, resting his hands on the table. He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them to stare directly at Ryoga, "I'll offer you 20,000,000 for the retrieval of Ms. Shiho's child."  
  
Ryoga's grin widened a bit, while Shampoo frowned. Folding his hands in front of him, Ryoga gave Hikaru a pleasant smile.  
  
"Well Hikaru..."Began Ryoga. But he was suddenly interrupted by Shampoo.  
  
"We'll only accept 2,000,000!" She exclaimed.  
  
Ryoga's face fell, while Gosunkugi stared at her in surprise.  
  
"What!!" They both exclaimed. The difference was that Gosunkugi had yelled it in surprise. Ryoga had screamed it like he was in pain.  
  
Shampoo frowned at Ryoga. "2,000,000 is a good price for getting back a woman's child!"  
  
"But 20,000,000 is a SO much better price for a kidnapping case!" Exclaimed Ryoga.  
  
Shampoo responded by furiously shaking her head, "We only accept 2,000,000! It's not honorable to take more than that! We're not even sure if the child's mother can pay 20,000,000!"  
  
"Why????" Cried Ryoga.  
  
Shampoo turned away from Ryoga and snipped, "Well, as a woman who wants to one day mother a child, I would do anything to get my child back from a kidnapper. But I also know the reality of money!" She turned to look at Ryoga meaningfully, "A fairly payable bank loan would be about 2,000,000 right?"  
  
Ryoga growled, "Oh now she has a conscious! With the way you spend money, I would expect you to accept the 20,000,000!"  
  
Shampoo sighed, then stared at the table, "Because material things are easy to spend money on. But even I wouldn't put a price on a human life."  
  
Ryoga stared at her for a second, then turned roughly away, "Hmph! Like I care!"  
  
He glared at Gosunkugi, then said, "OK fine. We accept the 2,000,000. Payment in full!"  
  
"Deferred!" Chimed in Shampoo.  
  
Ryoga closed his eyes in pain, the growled. "2,000,000 deferred. OK?"  
  
Gosunkugi smiled nervously between the two, then twiddled his thumbs, "Actually, Shiho is ready to pay the 20,000,000. So its OK."  
  
Shampoo blinked, then looked at him suspiciously, "Are you sure?"  
  
Gosunkugi nodded. "I'm sure. Do I need to sign a contract for this?" He said, making pen signing motions in the air.  
  
Ryoga folded his hands over his chest, "Yeah. Come to the Shibuya train stop at 8:00 tonight, and wait there for an hour."  
  
"I understand," Said Gosunkugi hiding a smile. He then stood and bowed before the two, "Well, I appreciate you hearing me out. I will see you later."  
  
That said he left some money on the table for all three coffees, then turned and left.  
  
------  
  
Ryoga and Shampoo left a second later, walking slowly.  
  
"How much time do we have left before our meeting with Daisuke?" Asked Ryoga.  
  
Shampoo looked at her watch, then said, "We, are five minutes late."  
  
Ryoga rolled his eyes, "Wonderful."  
  
As they walked toward the Yawarenken, Shampoo asked, "So what do you think of the story?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Ryoga dazedly queried.  
  
"Gosunkugi's case." Shampoo emphasized with a firm tone as they crossed the street. "Doesn't it sound a little suspicious to you?"  
  
"A lot of it sounds suspicious." Snorted Ryoga.  
  
"Not many could pay 20,000,000 for a kidnapped child." Said Shampoo.  
  
"Not many would steal a cat." Countered Ryoga.  
  
Shampoo gave Ryoga questioning look, to which he answered with a wild grin. Adjusting his glasses, he gestured to the front door of the Yawarenken group. "So, shall we?"  
  
Shampoo deftly reached into Ryoga's inner pocket, and pulled out his box of cigs.  
  
"Hey!" He exclaimed.  
  
Pulling out a cig, she caught it in her lips and lit it with the trick she used in the cafe, "Well, let's go!"  
  
Ryoga dolefully shook his head, and opened the door with Shampoo.  
  
They didn't walk two steps into the building before a large burly man in a black suit blocked their path.  
  
"Hold it right there." Growled the man.  
  
---[tbc]---  
  
Who is this large man that stands in the way of our heroes? What exactly is the truth behind Gosunkugi's case? Is Ranma OK? And who in the world WOULD steal a cat? All questions answered...or at least they get stirred up, in the next chapter!  
  
------  
  
Author's notes: A lot more taxing than the second chapter. I apologize for launching the characters into a one year later scenario, but I wouldn't be able to get the characters the way I wanted them if I didn't. Yeah, I know they are wildly OOC. And, already Shampoo is displaying a talent she had never had before. But hey, this is fanfiction, yeah? ^_^  
  
Thanks for reading ^_^ 


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